Pedal means for automatic pianos and the like



March 4, 1930. F. VOLARE 1,749,403

PEDAL MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC PIANOS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 24, 1927 2Sheets-Sheet l March 4, 1930. F. VOLARE PEDAL MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC PIANOSAND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 24, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR Patented Mar.4, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT; QFFICE FRED VOLARE, OF SCOTCH PLAINS, NEWJERSEY, ASSIGNOI'L TO THE AEOLIAN COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF CDNNECTICUTPEDAL MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC PIANOS AND THE LIKE Application filed February24, 1927.

My present invention relates to improvements in pedal means forautomatic pianos and the like, the objects and features of whichcomprise simplicity of manufacture,

strength and durability in use, mcety of operation and a sightlyappearance.

The construction of my pedal means is shown in its preferred form in thedrawings wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the ped- 1 alsoperatively attached to the pumpers and shown folded into their upposition; Fig. 2 is the same showing the pedals in their down position;Fig. 3 is a front view of thepedals and related parts with the pedalsfolded into their up position; Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross section onthe line 44 in Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. 5is a vertical section on the line 5-5 in Fig.

3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

I will now describe my improvements in pedal means by way of the devicesembodying my said invention illustrated 1n the drawings. The pedals areshown in connection with pumpers in an upright player piano. 1 is theside or end of the piano casing; 2 is the lower front panel of the casethrough which is supposed to be the usual opening permitting the pedalsto be lowered through it from their up position where they have 8 beenhoused within the piano case, into their down playing position outsideof the piano case; said opening vice Versa, perm1tt1ng the pedals to bereturned back into the piano case.

The bellows parts to which my improved pedals are attached may be of anyusual or well known construction and, as shown, comprise a stationaryboard 3 having reservoir or equalizing bellows 4 mounted on its frontface and the two pumper bellows 5 on its rear face, said pumper andequalizing bellows being presumed to have the usual ports, valve andinterconnecting passages to make same operative so that alternateexpanding and collapsing of the pumpers will exhaust the air to agreater or less degree from the equalizing or reservoir bellows 4. Eachpumper is automatically collapsed by the usual spring 6 located betweenthe movable Serial No. 170,531.

board of the pumper and a stationary bracket 7 secured to the board 3.

My improved pedal means comprises the pedals proper designated 8, eachpivotally supported at 9 near its lower end on a frame 10 which ispivoted at ll by its upper end to a stationary bracket 32 secured to thefront face of the stationary board 3. The two supporting frames 10, onefor each pedal, are rigidly united by transversely extending means 12.Each pedal has a link 13 operatively connecting its upper end to thehorizontal arm of .a bracket 14 (one for each pumper) whose vertical armis screwed to the movable board of its pumper.

The above being the general description of the pedal mechanism, therenow follows the more detailed description of the features ofconstruction of said pedal mechanism wherein my present invention moreparticularly resides. The construction is such that the entire pedalmechanism is adapted to be made of stamped up sheet metal and of metalrod and tubing. Each frame 10 consists of a metal rod bent up into theU-shaped form shown with a substantially flat bottom 10 for the i torest on the floor when the pedals are in their out or operativeposition; and with the side bars of said U-frames straight between theirfree ends and a point 9 near the bottom 10 of the U, at which point saidside bars are bent vertically downwardly to form the eilicient supports10 for the whole frame 10 and for the foot applied to the pedal 8 torock it about the pivot 9. The free ends 10 of the side bars of eachframe are flattened and perforated with holes so to be received betweenthe correspondingly perforated bentup ends of the bracket 32. Pivot pins35 headed over at their ends extend through said holes whereby eachframe is pivoted to its aforesaid bracket 32.

' At the pivots 9 where the side bars of the frames 10 are bent saidside bars have portions 10 which are lattened in vertical planes and areperforated laterally with holes which are in lateral alignment with oneanother so as to snugly receive through them a straight i etal rod 15 ofround cross section (compare Figs. 4 and 5) through all of said side barholes of both frames 10 (compare Fig. 3). Both ends of this rod arescrew-threaded and fitted with cap-nuts 16.

12 is a piece of metal tubing surrounding the rod having its endsengaged and clamped by the inner side bars of the frames 10 when the capnuts 16 are screwed up against the outer side bars of said frames. 12"12are other tubes loosely surrounding the rod 15 with a bearing fit, eachtube being located between the side bars of its respective pedal frame10 without, however, having its ends clamped by said side bars, wherebysaid tubes 12 can turn freely on the supporting rod 15.

In short, the described construction provides for a rigid uniting of thetwo pedal frames so that thev move as a. unit into and out of playingposition. Also, the portion of said rod 15 and tubing 12 between theframes 10 constitutes a convenient hand-grip for lowering and raisingthe pedal means into and out of operative position.

17 is a U-shaped spring clip secured by its base to the board 3 (Figs. 3and 4) and comprisesa pair of spring aws adapted to receive between themand yieldingly retain the hand-grip part just described, when the pedalsare in their raised position.

The pedals per se designated 8 each consists of a bent-up sheet metalbox of shallow rectangular form constitutin a pan-like frame for a solidrectangular oor piece, the latter made preferably of wood faced with arubber or like composition for contact with the foot.

From Fig. 3 it will be seen that the rectangular outline of each pedal 8is a little smaller than the rectangular space enclosed by its frame 10.Each pedal pan 8 (at its end adjacent the bottom or transverse portion10 of the U-shaped frame 10) has a clamp 19 consisting of a piece ofbent-up sheet metal having a cylindrical portion 19 (compare Fig. 5)adapted to snugly encircle and frictionally grip the heretoforedescribed tube 12 (which it will be remembered loosely surrounds the rod15 with a bearing fit) and having foot portions 19 which are riveted tothe bottom of the pedal pan with said foot portions pressed together soas to cause the cylindrical portion 19 to clamp itself rigidly about theaforesaid tube 12 as in Fig. 5. The net result is that each pedal isprovided with an excellent pivotal bearing connection with 1tssupporting frame 8, which bearin consists of a tube as long as theinterior wi th of the frame, said tube turning about the rod 15.Furthermore, the said tube 12, except for the necessary end clearance,being as long as the interior width of the frame, and the pedal panbeing secured by the aforesaid clamp 19 to said tube, it follows thatthe pedal in operation cannot work sideways or laterally out of itsinitial centered position relatively to the side bars of its said frame10.

The upright arm 14 of each metal bracket 14 (Fig. 2) consists of a flatpiece of the outline shown in Fig. 3 by which the bracket is screwed tothe movable board of the related pumper 5. On the other hand, thehorizontal arm 14 of said bracket has its sides bent up to form aparallel sided trough as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. At the free end ofthis trough-like arm and between its sides is pivoted one end of thelink 13 as shown in said Figs. 2 and 3. The other end of said link 13 ispivotally attached to the bottom of the free end of the related pedalpan by means of a bracket or fixture riveted to said pan.

By my improved construction of pedal means I accomplish by the use ofreadily available materials a strong construction which is neverthelesslight and sightly in appearance and which, due to the extended length offloor contact by the cross bars 10 of the frames 10, give a firm supportfor said frames without producing indentations or marks in the carpet orother floor covering to the extent that isolated supporting feet of theordinary pedal construction indent themselves into the floor covering.These and other advantages inhere in my improved construction which willbe apparent to those skilled in the art.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. Pedal means for automatic pianos and the like, adapted to be foldedup into the piano and also to be unfolded and lowered into supportingcont-act with the floor, comprising the combination of two U-shapedframes each comprising two side bars connected by a cross piece, thecross pieces of which rest on the floor when said frames are down inposition for the pedals to be used, the side bars of said frames beingpivotally supported at their free ends within the piano; a rod extendingtransversely through the side bars of said frames parallel and adjacentto their cross pieces for supporting the pedals; and means on the freeends of said rod engaging the outer side bars of the two frames.

2. Pedal means for automatic pianos and the like, adapted to be foldedup into the piano and also to be unfolded and lowered into supportingcontact with the floor, comprising the combination of two U-shapedframes each comprising two side bars connected by a cross piece, thecross pieces of which rest on the floor when said frames are down inposition for the pedals to be used, the side bars of said frames beingpivotally supported at their free ends within the piano; a rod extendingtransversely throu h the side bars of said frames parallel an adjacentto their cross pieces; means on the free ends of said rod engaging theouter side bars of the two frames; sleeves surrounding said rod betweenthe side bars of the individual frames but with end clearance therefromso that said sleeves are freely rotatable on said rod; and pedalssecured respectively to said rotatable sleeves which thereby pivotallysupport said pedals respectively on said frames.

3. Pedal means for automatic pianos and the like, adapted to be foldedup into the piano and also to be unfolded and lowered into supportingcontact with the floor, comprising the combination of two U-shapedframes each comprising two side bars connected by a cross piece, thecross pieces of which rest on the floor when said frames are down inposition for the pedals to be used, the side bars of said frames beingpivotally supported at their free ends within the piano a transverse rodextending through the side bars of said frames parallel and adjacent totheir cross pieces for supporting the pedals; and means on the free endsof said rod engaging the outer side bars of the two frames, said sidebars of said frames being substantially straight from their pivoted endsto the aforesaid transverse rods, and being bent out of line with theforegoing substantially straight portion as to the portions of said sidebars between said transverse rod and the cross pieces of the frames.

4. Pedal means for automatic pianos and the like adapted to be folded upinto the piano and also to be unfolded and lowered into supportingcontact with the floor, comprising the combination of two U-shapedframes each comprising two side bars connected by a cross piece, thecross pieces of which rest on the floor when said frames are down inposition for the pedals to be used, the side bars of said frames beingpivotally supported at their free ends within the piano; a rod extendingtransversely through the side bars of said frames parallel and adjacentto their cross pieces for supporting the pedals; and means on the freeends of said rod engaging the outer side bars of the two frames; and atube surrounding said rod between the inner side bars of said frames,which side bars engage against the ends of said tube.

5. Pedal means for automatic pianos and the like, adapted to be foldedup into the piano and also to be unfolded and lowered into supportingcontact with the floor, comprising the combination of two U-shapedframes each comprising two side bars connected by a cross iece, thecross pieces of which rest on the oor when said frames are down inposition for the pedals to be used, the side bars of said frames beingpivotally supported at their free ends within the piano a rod extendingtransversely through the side bars of said frames parallel and adjacentto their cross pieces; means on the free ends of said rod engaging theouter side bars of the two frames; a tube surrounding said rod betweensaid frames clamped at its ends between the inner side bars of saidframes; sleeves surrounding said rod between the side bars of theindividual frames but with end clearance therefrom so that said sleevesare freely rotatable on said rod; and pedals secured respectively tosaid rotatable sleeves which thereby pivotally support said pedalsrespectively on said frames; the portions of said side bars adjacent theends of said tubes being flattened.

6. Pedal means for automatic pianos and the like, adapted to be foldedup into the piano and also to be unfolded and lowered into supportingcontact with the floor, the combination of two U-shaped frames eachcomprising two side bars connected by a cross piece, the cross pieces ofwhich rest on the floor when said frames are down in position for thepedals to be used, the side bars of said frames being pivotallysupported at their free ends within the piano; a rod extendingtransversely through the side bars of said frames parallel and adjacentto their cross pieces; means on the free ends of said rod engaging theouter side bars of the two frames; sleeves surrounding said rod betweenthe side bars of the individual frames but with end clearance therefromso that said sleeves are freely rotatable on said rod; pedal pans; andclamps, one for each pedal pan having a foot portion secured to thepedal pan and having a cylindrical portion which surrounds and clampsthe respective aforesaid sleeve.

Signed at Garwood in the county of Union and State of New Jersey this21st day of February, A. D. 1927.

FRED VOLARE.

